Aircraft brake systems may include a torque tube on which a plurality of stators are mounted with spaces therebetween and a wheel surrounding the torque tube having a plurality of rotors projecting into the spaces between the stators. In modern brake systems, the rotors and stators are often formed from a carbon-carbon composition which may be referred to herein simply as “carbon.”
One or more pistons are provided in such braking systems for applying pressure against a first one of the stators to compress the stack of rotors and stators and slow a rotating aircraft wheel. The stator furthest from the pistons may be referred to as a “backing plate” and, because of its shape and position, it is generally attached to the torque tube in a different manner from the other stators. As illustrated in FIGS. 13-17, a conventional aircraft braking system 200 may include a backing plate 202 with a back surface 204 in which a plurality of openings 206 are formed. Conventional torque pads 208 are mounted on a flange 210 of a torque tube 211 and are received in openings 206 in backing plate 202. The torque pads 208 may be mounted on tabs 212 projecting from flange 210 and pinned in place with pins 214 or attached to the torque tube in any other conventional manner. The torque pads 208 thereby couple the backing plate 202 to the torque tube 211 and transfer both axial loads from the pistons (not shown) and torsional loads from the rotating rotors to the torque tube 211. These torque pads must withstand aircraft brake operating temperatures that can reach 1200° F. and withstand (together with the approximately 11 other torque pads present in a conventional brake assembly) axial loads of around 45,000 pounds and torsional loads of around 30,000 foot pounds.
When conventional torque pads are used, the backing plate requires extensive machining to form spaces or pockets for accommodating the torque pads. This design produces an undesirably large amount of scrap because the pockets for the torque pads reduces the strength of the backing plate in the vicinity of the pockets. This lower strength results in local compression and/or distortion of the carbon backing plate. It would therefore be desirable to provide a torque pad capable of coupling a backing plate to a torque tube that requires less extensive machining of the backing plate.